Several dangerous chemicals such as phthalates were found in ready-made Mac & Cheese powdered cheese mixes, even organic varieties!

These chemicals have been banned for decades in toys such as rubber duck toys and children’s teething rings. The worst part? These chemicals are also found in the organic versions of Mac & Cheese, too. So no matter where you look to enjoy your favorite Mac & Cheese meal, you’ll struggle to get one that isn’t packed with toxic ingredients.

About Phthalates

Phthalates are disruptors of hormones. They are linked to learning and behavior problems in older children, and also relate congenital disabilities. Based on a large amount of data, scientists have agreed that phthalates are dangerous and are endocrine-disrupting chemicals.

So you must be wondering, how did these chemicals get into your kid’s favorite food? It could have happened in two ways. The first way is from the packaging. The chemicals can migrate from the package into the food and also from the equipment used in the manufacturing process of the product such as plastic tubing, conveyor belts, etc.

Another reason is that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) never had forbidden phthalates from being used in foods. In 2014, FDA already knew that the cause of contamination of phthalates came from foods, drugs, and beverages as they saw the report to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Research based on 30 cheese products was conducted to find out about these chemicals. It turns out that phthalates were present in over 97% of the samples. The highest concentrations of these chemicals were in the most processed products, such as the boxed mac and cheese that include cheese powder.

Over eleven environmental and food safety groups got together to launch a petition against the FDA. They asked the FDA to remove phthalates from the approved food, drug, and beverage products, and also from packaging and processing equipment.

The Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) organized the petition. And their director of chemicals policy, Tom Neltner, said that the petition had been delayed momentarily because of “technical” reasons.

Here is a video from CBS News talking about this issue. Note that the report about Mac & Cheese starts at 0.50 seconds:

Conclusion

It’s incredible how our governmental agencies choose to protect the companies and their profits before protecting the people. We encourage you to sign this petition and make your voice heard. We can no longer tolerate companies selling us chemicals instead of food. Sign the petition at #KleanUpKraft.org! Remember that it’s always best to make your Mac & Cheese from home so you can continue to eat this delicious meal without harming your health.